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Following a second round of voting, organisers of the 2016 World Car Awards have revealed the top three finalists in each category.
Perhaps with such a large jury – 73 international motoring journalists were involved in the ballot – ending up with a consensus was always going to be difficult. Indeed, any model likely to polarise opinion risked getting sidelined in favour of less controversial choices which are not especially outstanding.

That certainly seems to have been the case with this year's main World Car of the Year prize. Could the Audi A4 really be named 2016's best new car? Sure, it's doubtless very capable, but the styling is virtually identical to the previous model's and there's nothing much to get excited about.

The top three finalists in alphabetical order are:

World Car of the Year

Audi A4 Sedan / Avant

Mazda MX-5

Mercedes-Benz GLC

Deserves to win: Mazda MX-5 by default. But nothing here represents a significant advance for their respective market segments.

World Luxury Car of the Year

Audi Q7

BMW 7 Series

Volvo XC90

Deserves to win: Volvo XC90.

World Performance Car of the Year

Audi R8 Coupé

Honda Civic Type R

Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé

Deserves to win: Audi R8 Coupé (because it's not merely a sporty version of a mainstream model). However, the Mercedes-AMG will probably emerge victorious.

World Green Car of the Year

Chevrolet Volt (range extender)

Toyota Mirai (hydrogen fuel cell)

Toyota Prius (hybrid)

Deserves to win: Toyota Mirai, as it has the potential to popularise hydrogen as a fuel source.

World Car Design of the Year

Jaguar XE

Mazda CX-3

Mazda MX-5

Deserves to win: Jaguar XE or Mazda MX-5.

All five winners are due to be announced at the New York International Auto Show on the 24th of March.